


What we do in the Dark

by Zarazabuza



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Comedy, Dick Grayson is Robin, Fluff and Humor, Future Fic, M/M, Pre-Slash, Secret Relationship, based on my tumbler post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-07 15:26:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14083914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zarazabuza/pseuds/Zarazabuza
Summary: Barbara return home early from an easy night of crime fighting as Batgirl, only to cockblock her dad and his date.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta reader: TheGingerwithaHat

It had been an easy night. Well, the last couple of nights had been easy. The Joker was in Arkham. Who knows how long they might keep him there this time.  
A week ago, Batman and Robin had apprehended Two-face and the Riddler, whom had teamed up for a crime; only to have their bickering become their downfall. Mad Hatter and the Scarecrow were keeping a low profile, but apparently the dynamic duo had found a lead and was tracking it tonight. 

Barbara was tasked to keep a look at the in -and outgoings at the Iceberg Lounge. She had been given this task 4 days ago, and yet, even if the Penguin had been released a couple of months ago from Blackgate, there had been no spike in crime in his area, on the contrary. The crime activity had been at an all-time low.

There was whispering on the streets that the Penguin had gone legit. However, Batman was not so convinced.

“He’s up to something. The Penguin won’t be quiet for this long unless he got something planned,” Batman had growled as he gave Barbara her boring task.

Nothing exciting was really happening. A few people had gone in and a few people had left again, and it had been like this the last couple of days. Tonight there was a party, yet the host was absent. In his stead, Gabe, the ever trusting right-hand-man, was playing the part of the host, apologizing that the Boss had been called away for an important arrangement, which he could not re-schedule. 

Barbara believed this was her big break. The Penguin was out! And surely this was the time when whatever plan he had been brewing would unfold. She snuck into the office/flat above the lively party. Music was booming through the floor, masking the noise she was making. 

There’s a few files on the table, but they’re all restaurant or club related; Which meat to get, what alcohol to buy, and papers for the payment of his employees. It all had the feeling of legitimacy. Perhaps the rumors of Penguin stopping his criminal ways were true, even if Batman doesn’t believe them?

She snooped around a bit more, but there was no clue of what the Gangster boss was up too, not even why he wasn’t at his own party. 

The music continued. She could hear laughter from the guests.  
There was no reason for her to stay here in the dark office, when there was nothing for her to gather.  
She might as well call it an early night.

 

 

Barbara, now out of Batgirl costume, opened the front door to a dark hallway. This was normal. Either her dad would be in the living room watching television at this time or Harvey would have called her dad out for a case.

“Dad I’m home”

The hallway stayed quiet. A bit of light was shining in from the almost closed living room door. So, it seemed like it was a quiet night for her dad, too. That’s when she noticed the long, dark coat hanging next to her fathers at the coat hanger, the fabric being way out of her dads pay range and next to it stood a coal black umbrella with a bird engraved as the handle. 

Only one man in all of Gotham would walk with such an umbrella. 

She felt her stomach drop as she ran to the living room door, dropping her own jacket on the floor. 

 

 

It had been a plan in making. Barbara was out for the night, he had called in a favor from Harvey to not let any calls come his way tonight. This was to be their 5th date in total and though at the start their relationship had been very up and down, you grew fonder with age. In a way you could say that Oswald had made him a deal he couldn’t refuse. 

And here they were now, slowly leaning towards each other over a nice dessert after a perfect dinner date. Jim had removed his tie and unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt to show his neck. The process had captivated Oswald’s eyes. There was a big chance this dinner would continue to the bedroom.

“Now Oz. How would you plan we continue this?”

“I was thinking you would show your gentleman side and take me to the bedroom and the-“

That’s about when the door flew open and a teenager ran into the room. Her face was as white as a sheet, believing the worst could have happened to her father. Instead, her interruption had the two men jumping away from each other as if they had been burned, their little bubble away from the real world of Gotham having been busted with the entrance of Gordon’s daughter. 

“Barb!!”

“Miss Gordon!!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta reader: GingerwithaHat

Things had been awkward all day. It had all started this morning when her dad had tried to have “The Talk” about his apparent secret relationship with the previous mob Boss and restaurant owner, but each time her father had started one sentence, it had quickly died down to a point where he was just starring into his coffee until his phone had called him to work.

School had been its own version of awkward. It’s not as if Barbara could just out her dad to her friends for dating a former criminal. How could she even start that conversation when her dad couldn’t?

Yesterday evening had been a big blur ever since she had walked in on her dad and Mr. Cobblepot’s date. While her dad had turned into a stuttering mess with a face as red as a tomato, the Penguin had quickly gathered his umbrella and fled the scene, simultaneously forgetting his coat.

Said coat had still been hanging in the hall this morning, making it hard to imagine that last night had just been a hallucination. Barbra had eyed the coat with uncertainty. If her dad was happy, then who was she to stand in his way? Still, if the Penguin ever hurt her dad, she would make sure the ex-mob boss would fear the name Barbara Gordon. 

Who even knew of their relationship? Clearly it wasn’t a new thing, yet her dad had kept her in the dark. Did any of the Penguins goons know? Probably Gabe, he had been his boss stand-in at the party yesterday, he had to know where his boss was and what he was doing to let him be without guards. On her dad’s side though; who could he trust with this information? Did Harvey Bullock even know? How would that conversation even have gone, when her dad couldn’t even tell her without stopping himself?

 

 

“Really Jim? Him?”

“Harv-“

“ I mean, he was pining after you for years, but I never imagined you’d swing for the good old sad puppy eyes and depressing penguin flippers”

“Harve-“

“But then when I think about it, you did seem to let your eyes wander all over his body each time you were in a room together.”

“Harvey!!”

 

 

Dread was setting in as she arrived at the Batcave. Batman had put her on a task to spy on the Penguin to find out what he was up to. All day had been awkward, but this, this took the cake of embarrassment. While Batman and Robin had been on a case to capture two of Gothams rogues last night, she had walked in on her dad on a date with the man she was supposed to keep an eye on.

The cave was dark and cold as always, the only light was from the booted-up Bat-computer and from the small light bulbs at the railings. The computer was running a scan on the new Scarecrow chemicals so they could be added to the files, making them available to view if Jonathan Crane was ever to use these specific versions again or mutate them into something new.

 

 

“Batgirl! Did you find anything worth reporting?” Batman’s growling voice echoed in the room, never turning away from the computer screen. Robin smiled at Barbara, as if to apologize that she had been put on boring spy duty the night prior. “Were you able to find any traces as to what the Penguin is planning?” 

“I don’t think he’s really doing anything right now.”

“You don’t think?” Batman turned from the testing to glare at Barbara.

“That is, unless you count my dad.”

“What do you mean? Is he planning to hit the GCDP?” 

“No.” She paused. She’d been putting it off all day, perhaps saying it out loud it would make some of the awkwardness vanish. “He’s dating my dad.”  


 

It didn’t.


	3. Chapter 3

Things were slowly getting back to normal, as normal as life could be after Barbara had learned of her dad’s little secret relationship to an ex-mob boss. Batman still didn’t believe that it was possible for the Penguin to turn a new feather. The long expensive coat was still in the hallway. Her dad had not found the time to hand it back to the ex-mob boss again, or he was doing the old routine of “keeping something so they will have to come by for a second date”. 

Tonight, she was off, no time for Batgirl crime fighting when she had been postponing her science assignment all week. It wasn’t that it was a hard assignment at all, there had just been a lot of other stuff on her mind. 

Just as she was on the third question she could hear the stairs shrieked under boots, as her father was walking up the stairs. Followed by the slow steps of another person. She stopped typing and turned toward her closed door. 

Silence felt over the house. Barbara had a feeling she knew whom had followed her dad up the stairs, though Harvey had been over many times, he’d never walked upstairs. 

After about a few seconds she could hear muted voices from behind her door. 

 

“Jim, I really don’t think this is the ideal situation”

“Oswald, things are awkward as it is, just talk to her”

“Jim, it’s your daughter, I don’t think miss Gordon would appreciate me talking to her”

Instead of answering the nervous man, Jim knocked on his daughter’s door once before he turned the handle down and pushed the Penguin into the room with a wink, just the way Oswald used to do it.

 

Barbara heard her dad’s knock just before a nervous looking ex-mob was shoved into her room. What was her dad’s deal? Things were finally starting to feel normal and then he must try and “fix” things his way. It also seems the Penguin isn’t too keen with her dad’s plan either.

“So?” She tried, only to pause. How were she to start this conversation anyways? ‘Oh hi Mr. Penguin, how’s life now that you are no longer a criminal and banging my dad?’.

“Is this when you tell me you won’t take the place of my real mother?” is what came out instead. 

The black haired (with graying locks at the side) looked around the room, anywhere but her. “I – I can’t do this” he mumbled, turning around and frantic fought with the door handle, before he fled the room. 

The muffled conversation resumed behind her door for a second before the Penguin was gently pushed into her room again, though this time her dad lingered in the door way. Either as a moral support or to prevent the ex-mob boss from escaping, Barbara would put her money on the latter. 

“Barbara, it has been really tensed the last couple of days, you know it so don’t start the ‘it’s fine’ line again” Her dad spoke softly. It was then it dawned on her, it had been weird for everyone involved, not just her. 

 

 

 

The day after the failed date Jim had returned to his office and let his head hit the table with a loud dud. The night had been going well, and it was surely going to end even better. But it was all shattered the moment his “I’m coming home late dad” daughter entered the room. He wasn’t angry at Barbara, how were she to know that her dad, the police commissioner, were dating one of Gotham’s former rogues. 

The former mob-boss had even been so embarrassed that he had fled the apartment leaving his damn coat. Jim had been debating with himself if he should take the coat and drive past the Iceberg Lounge this morning. However, the thought about seeing Oswald again after last night’s disaster had made the Commissioner leave the coat at home. “I’ll bring it to him tomorrow” tomorrow became next day, next day became tomorrow and the coat stayed.

“So the date didn’t go according to plan?” Harvey entered the office, a doughnut in one hand and a coffee in the other, he closed the door with the heel of his shoe. 

“Harvey, you got no idea”

“ So what? Your little pet Penguin left you with blue balls or something?” Harvey took a big gulp of his hot steaming coffee.

“Barbara came home early”

His office was painted with hot coffee and spit as Harvey ejected it all out of his mouth, followed by a booming laughter. "Cockblocked by your own daughter!!". For the rest of the week Harvey had constantly been throwing jokes and knowing smiles towards the embarrassed Commissioner. 

 

 

 

The failed date night for Oswald wasn’t originally so bad, it was cold without his coat but there was no way he would go back to the apartment for the coat now. “I’ll come by and get it later” later never came around. As he returned home, he went straight for his office/flat, not in any mood for socializing with random nonchalant faces whom were enjoying the party. It had supposed to have been their night out. Jim had finally been able to get a night off and though it was on the same night he was hosting a party, Oswald can always get someone to stand-in.

The days weren’t so bad, it was the nights that haunted the Penguin. Somehow the Batman had learned of the relationship between Jim and him. The Bat had made it his personal business to make life a living hell for the ex-mob boss. 

“Penguin! “A strong grip took hold of Oswald’s neck, and a strong body forced him face first into his own bookcase. “What are you trying to pull here? Why are you with James Gordon!?” The Bat growled hitting the bookcase hard with his free fist, showing dominance and anger.

“What?” Oswald squawked, confused as to why suddenly his former enemy knew of Jim and his relationship. One week ago, only a few people knew, and life had been so easy. Now it was as if it had been shouted from the rooftops and the whole city knew.  
“What are you up to!!”

“It is called dating you brute!! It’s what two people do if they enjoy each other’s company now unhand me!!”

Ever since then, the damn bat would hover around the Iceberg Lounge at any given hour at night. Though he wasn’t being psychical like the first night, just constantly keeping an eye on him. Making work hard, even when it wasn’t against the law. 

 

 

 

Barbara had been in the believe that this had only inferred with her daily life, but now she understood. This wasn’t just about her, it was about her family and if this were making her dad happy and keep the ex-gangster away from crime. Then can’t she get past the fact that the Penguin was dating her dad?

“Dad, are you happy?” She asked, staring directly at her dad.

“I am Barb”

She turned to the Penguin to give him a confident smile “and you mr. Cobblepot?”

“I am very delighted miss Gordon”

It was working, somehow the awkwardness was finally lifting. There was just one tiny thing, one final thing. As the two men were leaving her room she couldn’t help shouting “Remember your coat” 

He didn’t.

It was still there in the morning.

But so was his cane.

Oh……. The Penguin stayed the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is un-betaed. so if you find a mistake, please tell me so I can fix it ^_^
> 
> Here's the deal though (nothing bad) so I have an idea for a Future fic Gobblepot plot. But I feel like this story has come to an end. since it was mainly focusing on Barbara. so I want to ask you, my readers if you want me to add the plot to this universe or if I should start a new story so I can build a new Future fic world up around the plot and keep this as it is: comedy. ( Also Barbara isn't that much in focus in this plot I have in mind)

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a mini comic I made on my Tumblr :) 
> 
> https://thepocetartist.tumblr.com/post/172000915066/barbara-coming-home-early-from-a-night-of-crime


End file.
